SVG SOIL ANALYSIS

Three preliminary recommendations have been put
forward, in relation to the application of fertilizer for the soil here in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, based on
analysis conducted at the Soil laboratory at Campden Park.

The Laboratory was established as part of a project
dubbed: Strengthening Farmers’ Organizations and Improving Fruit and Vegetable
Production Technology.

The Project was implemented by St. Vincent and the
Grenadines and Taiwan from 2015 to 2018, and it involved a comprehensive survey
of soil across St. Vincent and the Grenadines by the Ministry of Agriculture
and the Taiwan Technical Mission.

Over the past three years, the Ministry of
Agriculture and the Taiwan Technical Mission collected and analysed hundreds of
soil samples across the country at the Soil Laboratory.

Chief of the Taiwan Technical Mission, Mr.
Chao-Chiung Liao said there are three preliminary recommendations on the
application of fertilizer for the soil here.

He said first, in order to avoid nutrition deficiency in the soil, it is
necessary to supplement Nitrogen and Phosphorous by applying appropriate
fertilizer. Secondly, due to the high Potassium found in the soil, Farmers are being
encouraged to decrease the use of relative fertilizer to reduce the cost of
production.

According to Mr. Chun-Chun Huang, Soil-Analysis Specialist at the Taiwan Technical Mission, the third recommendation is for Farmers to apply small amounts of fertilizer at more frequent intervals, to improve performance and efficiency.